PEARL RIVER - Utility companies hustled into the weekend to restore power to thousands in the Lower Hudson Valley.

Con Edison said they reduced the number of customers without power by 40 percent Friday night. About 6,400 customers remain without power in Westchester County, where harsh winds knocked down trees.

The company said they expect to restore power for the remaining 1,700 customers affected by the first nor'easter by Sunday night. And they expect to restore power for those affected by the second storm by Monday night.

O&R said an additional 220 mutual aid line technicians joined the field effort on Saturday, and another 250 are expected to join on Sunday. O&R said this is the company's largest restoration contingent since Hurricane Sandy.

Additionally, O&R created a "temporary staging area" at the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel on 1 International Blvd., which will help in the distribution of materials. Thousands of feet of wire, dozens of telephone poles and transformers will arrive to the area by the end of Saturday.

With this aid, the company aims to restore power to its customers in the majority of Rockland customers by midnight on Sunday, including those in Sullivan and Bergen counties.As of Saturday afternoon, there are an estimated 8,500 customers without power.

Barbara Merriman and her husband were drinking coffee in the kitchen of their Airmont home when a fleet of utility trucks went whizzing by their window around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.